Going to the doctor

Advice needed please. 
If you have a young autistic adult that you are supporting, and they have a symptom that any (in fact every) doctor would say: ‘get that looked at/checked out by a GP to make sure it’s nothing serious’ but the young adult does not want to go to the doctor, what is the best way to approach helping them with that? When they are totally emphatic that they don’t want to go and see the doctor, but the symptom is one that there is a TINY TINY risk it could be something like cancer? What do you do? 
It’s most likely (by far) that it’s nothing serious but there is a TINY chance that it could be? And the young person hates to be put under pressure of any kind (and I don’t think pressure would help but only stress them out hugely). What do you do in this scenario? 

Parents
  • Hi Kate, 

    I've some experience of this with my little sister who suffers from chronic stress and anxiety which causes her awful symptoms that often point to more serious health problems. But she gets so worked up she won't see doctors she refuses, screams, has meltdowns. A workaround I've found is to have a chat with the doctor, so she can help reassure her and then see if the doctor can come to the house instead of her going to the doctors surgery. 

    She's still anxious about it but doing it this way is much better for my sister. And it's always worth getting checked, her dizziness, balance issues and headaches which are all symptoms of anxiety turned out to be a brain tumour.

    I hope this helps you.

    X

Reply
  • Hi Kate, 

    I've some experience of this with my little sister who suffers from chronic stress and anxiety which causes her awful symptoms that often point to more serious health problems. But she gets so worked up she won't see doctors she refuses, screams, has meltdowns. A workaround I've found is to have a chat with the doctor, so she can help reassure her and then see if the doctor can come to the house instead of her going to the doctors surgery. 

    She's still anxious about it but doing it this way is much better for my sister. And it's always worth getting checked, her dizziness, balance issues and headaches which are all symptoms of anxiety turned out to be a brain tumour.

    I hope this helps you.

    X

Children